Missionary Letters

Well, it dawned on me that since I am writing to my brother every week I could just copy and paste most of what I write to him into this blog to keep everyone updated. Here's hoping I remember to do it! This is my letter on Monday, July 19th. He is currently serving in the Spain Malaga Mission in Jerez.

Well a miracle has occurred, well a couple of them I guess. First, I finally mailed your package! I have pictures in there from March 2009 all the way to Matthew's baptism. Hopefully the candy doesn't get all over everything as I put it in plastic bags. Second, we went camping as a family! We finally got to use the camping kit I bought at least eight years ago. Dave went a few weekends ago with his buddies and decided he should start taking the boys! It was just a one nighter but we still had fun. S'mores (which S3 doesn't like-weirdo), playing uno by lantern light, building a fire, playing down by the river - lots of fun.

Right now it's horribly hot, and a bit humid, and so the swamp cooler doesn't work the best. So inside the house it runs between 84 and 88 degrees and at night it only drops down to 70 degrees at best. But we've had a good week anyway.

Monday I just laid around after the baptism/family/working weekend. Tuesday Becky came down with her boys and S1 was in school so we took them plus my other two on a hike up to the waterfall here in PG. Did you ever hike that with us? We'll have to do it when you come out. Anyway, we also had Mattie and Sadie with us (the dogs). S2 had Sadie and one of Becky's boys threw a rock into the pond, and he almost got dragged in! He did get his leg and pride scraped up pretty badly. It was a good thing I brought the first aid kit and lots of water! He made it up to the waterfall and was playing like nothing had happened. After we got done we had to take off to meet up with Dave because he wanted to see Toy Story 3 with us before S1 got out of school. It was a really good movie.

Dave headed home with the boys while I went to get S1 and do carpool. When I got home at 4 pm Dave announced he was taking the kids camping that night- I said, I'm coming too! It took at least 30 min to figure out where we were going and if we could do it without reservations, another chunk of time to coordinate what we were having for dinner/snacks/breakfast and what else we needed at the store. So at 5 pm I was off to the store, got the stuff we needed, fed the kids dinner, got all packed up and by 7:45 pm we were headed up the Canyon. The first campground we went to was full so by the time we found a spot and started unloading it was pretty much 9 pm. But we all had fun roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, playing uno and yahtzee, making the fire, etc. We didn't head out until about 1:30 pm the next day. Once home I was obviously tired! So I did nothing else other than make the kids dinner the rest of the day. Thursday and Friday were spent trying to get the house back into some kind of order. Friday Dave and I went to the temple to do sealings.

Saturday I paid bills and took the kids swimming before I had to go to work. Our swim time was cut short when someone pooped in the pool. Saturday night Becky and her crew were back to spend the night before they headed out this morning to go home. Becky and I stayed up way too late talking last night but oh well. Then they were off this morning and we were off to church. I have been called to help out in the nursery one week a month. But that calling didn't start today and the primary chorister had told me she would be back today. She wasn't. So I just filled in for her again on the fly. I had to leave five minutes early though because I had switched shifts and needed to get home and grab a bite to eat before I went to work.

The Temple Hill (Pageant Orchestra) is on "tour" right now. They asked Dave to accompany them in a couple of concerts because they needed a stronger trumpet. So tonight he had a concert. Brian was going to come take care of the boys for us while I worked so I switched shifts with the person before me so Brian wouldn't have to be here for as long. Part of that is because the earlier shift is one hour shorter, but also because Dave wouldn't be gone for the whole time I was working. Anyway, work was fine and the boys had fun with Brian. Right now we are roasting but I sprayed the cooler by standing on the grass and aiming it for the cooler on the roof. It worked to lower the temp to 82 in the house. Our home teacher is coming over right now actually to get on the roof and really soak things so we can cool down a bit. I would get on the roof but Dave would kill me! I joke that it's really safer for me, even pregnant, to get up on the roof than for Dave because I've at least got lots of experience - he's got none! Oh well. Okay he came and went and it turns out our pump isn't working! The pads were bone dry. That sucks. Oh well, nothing to be done until at least tomorrow!

I can't really think of anything else to report. Other than it looks like Bob might be able to avoid surgery for is hurt arm. Mom still needs to have hers at the end of the month. Terraza is working hard at all of her school/work stuff. Haven't heard anything from Mansur in a long time. Paul is busy working as usual. Oh, at the end of the week cousin Wendy will be here for a week visiting her grandma so we'll get together to have fun with the munchkins I am sure!

Two new post

Did you know that if you start a post and save the draft and then publish it, it publishes the entry in the order where you first created it? Since I started some post with the intent to get back to them, you may not see them if I don't tell you. So, if you really love reading this blog, make sure to scroll down to read, "Good thing it wasn't an amputation" and "Tick me off and I'll speak".

New Post in March 2009

I posted a story that I started back in March 2009 about S1's crazy mad escape artist skills.

Good thing it wasn't an amputation....

S1's right foot turns in about 45 degrees when he walks, especially when he's going up stairs. So we decided to get some hip x rays to see if there was a problem or not. The idea of him staying still during x rays was laughable so we decided to sedate him. He's been sedated many times before and has never had a problem. The sedation and x rays went off without a hitch. But when we were in Radiology, they asked which hip and I said I thought it was supposed to be bilateral x rays, but pediatric sedation only had an order for the left hip. I said that I hadn't ever seen the order since it was called in straight to radiology from the doctor's office. So they just did the left hip. I wasn't focusing to hard because they gave S1 ketamine (sp?). Basically it made it look like he had cerebral palsy. He was kind of twisted and stiff, eyes open and staring off steadily in one direction, head cocked to the side. It was a bit disturbing, being his mother, to see him that way but I knew it was only temporary.

When I called the doctors office later in the day to see what the results were the nurse said, "We're still waiting to get the results on the right hip." That's when I informed her she'd be waiting a long time since they didn't do a right hip x ray. Apparently the hospital had some kind of computer glitch so it only printed up the order for the left hip and not the order for the right hip. If I'd been in my right mind, I would have realized this while in radiology. That's why I say it was a good thing it wasn't an amputation or S1 would have lost the wrong limb! Actually, if it was for any procedure other than a simple x ray I would have been more focused. So we had to return two days later to do the other set of x rays. The hospital made it clear that I would not be charged for a second sedation.

I wondered how hard it would be to get S1 back into the hospital. As it turns out, the first visit wasn't traumatic for him at all as the second time around he walked right into the hospital like he owned the place. He waited in radiology just fine while I registered him. So we tried to see if he'd hold still for a x ray without being sedated, and low and behold he did! I had to hold his hand and sing to him so he'd stay on the table while the technician held his feet in the correct position, but he did it! I guess I just threw over $600 down the drain to sedate him earlier in the week. Nah, I don't think it was a waste. If I understand correctly the ketamine keeps the patient awake, just kind of disassociated from their body. They are still globally aware of things that are going on. So maybe the sedation helped him the first time around to see that x rays were no big deal so the second time around he'd know what was going on and could cooperate. Because I am pretty sure that if we had tried to force him onto that table the first time without sedation, we'd never get him willingly onto that table again!

Bi-Annual Update

Well, I started to think about writing a family update and I realized that although I blog some and email randomly I haven't done a yearly update in two years. Well, I think I wrote one but I don't think I ever got it out! So I'll try to be short, but you know me.......

First, the family news. In December 2008 Jenny and Dave celebrated their 10th anniversary (Jan 2009) by taking a cruise out of Florida and going to Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. They had a wonderful time on the ship and seeing Mayan Ruins, Tropical Rain Forest, a Banana Plantation, and the Panama Canal! The grandparents Faires made it possible by staying with the kids for the week we were gone-so thanks! In December 2009 we had a water line burst when Jenny was out running errands. Thus the month of December was hectic as we dealt with replacing carpets, drywall, painting, moving everything out of the main floor and the family room in the basement and then trying to get resettled all during the holidays. However, that means that we started 2010 with brand new carpet in the majority of the house. Hooray. We also saw Jenny's youngest brother off on his mission to Spain in March and then took a road trip during the summer to see Dave's youngest brother when he returned from his mission to the Dominican Republic, afterward visiting Jenny's Grandpa and great uncle, and concluding with a visit to the Annandale's (family friends) in Las Vegas before heading home. Now the individual notes.

S3 is now almost 5 years old. He loves preschool and looks forward to going to school with S2 next year. He thinks he speaks Spanish and it's funny to hear him "talk" in Spanish (since it's mostly gibberish). He does know a few words but he's far from fluent! S3 loves to sing and will sing songs he knows and make up silly songs. He had us (and other ward members) in tears, from laughing so hard, this year during the primary program at church because he was belting it out so loudly you could hear him all the way in the back of the chapel- above the voices of all the other children singing. It's fun to listen in when he's playing by himself because he has quite the imagination. S3 also enjoys helping S1 and playing on the computer. He likes to count the plates and bowls while he unloads the dishwasher.

S2 is 7 1/2 years old and loves school. He's also taking piano lessons and has played for the ward at our Christmas party. Math is one of his favorite subjects. He played basketball this fall and really enjoyed it. Mom was his coach and he thought that was cool. S2 was very excited every time he scored a basket, usually once a game although he scored three times in one game. He is excited about being able to be baptized this summer when he turns eight. He loves to play with his aunt and uncle's dogs and dreams of the day when he gets one of his own. S2 also loves to play on the computer, read and play card or board games. He also likes to talk on the phone to family members far away. However, he dislikes his chore of loading the dishwasher.

S1 just turned 10 years old! We can hardly believe it. After trying to work with the school district for FOUR years to get his educational needs met, we pulled S1 out of the district and got him into a private autism school. He is really enjoying it. He knows the alphabet and can count to at least six. That's what we're sure he knows but I know he knows more as demonstrated by the random words he uses and the problems he solves to get what he wants. S1 continues to be happy and healthy although we still have lots of struggles. His chores include throwing his diaper away and putting his dirty clothes in the hamper. You should see him run so he doesn't miss his shows. S1 also loves the dog "cousins" and enjoys taking them on "walks". He is talking more, but mostly when it serves his purposes. S1 loves to sing "I am a child of God" and "Jingle Bells". If you sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and leave off the last word of each refrain, he will say it for you. He also loves horses and the shows Sid the Science Kid and Super Why on PBS.

Jenny has no time now that she drives S1 every day to school. But she does manage to volunteer in S2 and S1's schools every week. She is also still working (for 2 1/2 yrs now) part time (weekend evenings). Jenny works with seniors providing companion/personal care so that they can stay in their homes/retirement home instead of going into enhanced care /nursing home. She loves having time with S3 each day as they run errands or putter around the house. This year Jenny became a published "writer". She contributed a story to Mormon Mishaps and Mischief: Hilarious Stories for Saints that was accepted and published. This summer she loved working in her garden as it is now fenced in so S1 can't get into it. She also spent a lot of time cutting up vegetables for David. Jenny is also in charge of soliciting donations for S2's PTA Auction. So if any of you have anything you want to donate........

David has the biggest news of all this year. Since the last week in April he has lost more than 160 pounds! He started working out and eating right. Dave has probably eaten more vegetables since April than he's eaten in the past ten years. During the summer he worked out for 5 hours a day, now he's down to around 2 hrs a day. He also went on tour with the Mormon Tabernacle choir this summer and enjoyed seeing friends and family around the country. Last spring Dave was named "Educator of the Year" for his High School. He's in his fourth year of teaching for them. In November it became official, Dave is allergic to exercise. Okay, that's a bit of exaggeration. However, while pushing himself to run 8 mi/hr (normally he runs around 5 mi/hr), Dave did have an anaphylactic reaction. In short he had a nice ambulance ride and visit in the hospital. Now he carries an epi-pen with him when he exercises just in case. What happened is a mystery to the allergist but you can Google it and find that although rare, it's not unheard of. Dave's goal is to run a marathon this April.

I guess that sums it all up. We hope that this update finds you doing well and enjoying the blessing of family and friends. We continue to be grateful for the blessings that we have of health, home, family and friends but especially for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the light and hope He brings to us during our times of trial. May His peace be with you.

Love,

Dave, Jenny, S1, S2 and S3

PS I'll post a new family photo when we get one.

Tick me off, then I'll speak

S1 only talks when it really serves his own purposes. He rarely calls anyone by name. So far he hasn't ever said either of his brothers names. Occasionally he may say mom or dad. Well, apparently if you tick him off enough, S1 will say your name. My sister was over with her daughter. They brought over a toy "laptop" that plays nursery songs that S1 enjoys. He loves playing with it. In fact he took it outside to jump on the trampoline and play with it. Don't you jump on the trampoline with all of your favorite things? Anyway, it was time for my sister and niece to leave so my sister packed up all their gear. While I held the toddler she went out to retrieve the laptop. Of course S1 did not want to give it up. So she took it away from him and high tailed it into the house, shoving it into her bag. We could hear S1 coming so I practically threw my niece at her and shoved them out the door.

S1 doesn't always say words very clearly, sometimes only the vowels make it out. My sister's name is Terraza. S1 came running into the house yelling (which he'd also never done before) Ey - a, Ey - a. You could tell he was mad as a hornet. I tried to get him to calm down by saying, "let's go look for your laptop S1." Since he followed me into his room I thought he was in agreement with me. Oh no. He ran in, still yelling madly "Ey - a, Ey -a", grabbed the stool he uses to climb into bed, went straight back into the living room, dropped the stool at the door and reached up and undid the top lock! When I pointed outside and told him that Terraza was already gone, he did give up trying to chase after her. However, he still was madly muttering her name. I went downstairs and called to him to follow as I went looking for his laptop. When I found it and tried to give it to him he shook his head and said forcefully, "No, no, no. Ey - a, Ey - a." S1 went back up the stairs and out to the trampoline to bounce out the emotions (that's what he does when he gets sad too). He didn't want his laptop which plays the sounds of different instruments, he wanted his cousin's laptop which plays the nursery rhymes he likes.

Of course I had to call my sister and tell her all about what happened. I think it started off something like, "Well congratulations Terraza, you finally ticked S1 off bad enough he said your name!" She could hardly believe it. Since his birthday was in about a month and she was at the Wal-Mart, she bought him the same one her daughter has and brought it straight over for him, since we live one mile from wally world. When she went to hand it to me I said, "Oh no. He's mad at you. You'd better take it to him because I don't know what he'll do the next time he sees you. You'd better go make nice." Guess who was thrilled with his present? And his aunt knows she bought him a present he likes - which isn't always an easy thing to do!

Weed Whacker

Awesome thing happened tonight. S1 wanted to play with the toy weed whacker. The batteries had long since died. He brought it to me and I took it and pretend it worked, rubbing it on his chest going, "Vroom, vroooooom..". He pulled it off his chest and turned the "blade" around while I made the noise. When I was finished I told him that it didn't work, that the batteries were dead. He left and took the week whacker with him. S1 went down the hall and opened the hall closet. I could tell he was kind of rummaging around with one hand. I wondered what he was looking for as he'd never played in that closet before. When he turned around, triumphant, he had a battery in his hand! He brought me the battery and the weed whacker and handed them both to me, fully expecting me to fix it. How could I not? It didn't matter that he'd brought me a size D battery when I would need two AA batteries. I fixed it and he was happy to play with it again. I was most amazed because he's obviously picked up on things that I didn't know he was paying attention to, like where we keep the batteries.

Musical Me

Today the rest hymn was actually a piano number by the Bishop's eleven year old daughter. S1 had grown restless with the talks so he was sitting on the pew listening to his tape of Christmas music. As soon as she started playing, his head perked up, he ripped off the headphones and dropped them on the pew, stood up, turned around, looked expectantly at the congregation and began to conduct the music. S1 loves it when you sing and he gives you this "look" when he wants you to sing for him. While as he conducted he gave me that look. I whispered that we weren't going to sing while she played. He continued conducting watching the congregation. About two-thirds of the way through he turned back around facing the piano, continued conducting with one hand and "played" the "piano" on the back edge of the pew in front of us until the musical number was over. He then sat down and resumed listening with his headphones. The funniest part was that even though S1 was conducting with both hands, he apparently had a nose itch because occasionally he'd stick his index finger just inside his nose but still have that hand waving to conduct!

Chores

When my kids are about 18 months old I have them start helping me unload the dishwasher. They are great about taking out the plastic plates and handing them to me. As they get older they do more of the unloading. My quandry has been what chore can I give S1 that a) he's capable of doing b) won't get broken c) makes sense to him why he has to do it. We started with having him throw away his diapers. It met all three qualifications, especially since he would connect getting his diaper changed to having to go throw it away. Compared to him being in the middle of something and me saying, go do this job. So what other chore could I give him? Since he knew how to throw stuff away, if we need something put in the trash and he is in the room, we'll give it to him to do. Not much but it's at least something. But still I felt he is capable of more. So we started making him put his clothes in the hamper when he gets dressed for bed or has to change clothes. It was funny at first because he'd bee line it for the trash can so I was watching for clothes in the trash and diapers in the hamper. We had to work a little to get him to go to the bathroom (where the hamper is) to put the clothes away, but now he does it all by himself. Good job S1! What next?

Blackberries Anyone

I've been meaning to write this post for months. In August the blackberries in our front side yard are ripe for the picking. You have to pick them in stages so you can have enough to make jam. While all the boys were busy I slipped outside to pick some. I just put them in a colander so they are ready to wash when I go inside. Well, when I got inside the boys needed my attention so I hid the colander of berries behind some items on the counter-where I promptly forgot about them. Not such a big deal as they were hidden from view. But things got shuffled around the next day, not by yours truly, so the colander was now sitting in front of the toaster in full view. I was in my room when I hear S2 yell, "MOM!!!" I walked into the living room to see S1 up to his elbows in blackberry juice and bits, laying on the living room carpet, waving his arms like he's making a blackberry carpet angel! Immediately I got him up and into the bath. Cleaning off the TV was no problem, but it took over an hour with the help of Spot Shot to get it all out of the carpet. Yes, it came out! Then I had to go and clean up the kitchen where S1 had massaged the berries in the colander so the juice had leaked out everywhere. Thank goodness for Comet with Bleach. I guess we won't have any blackberry jam this year.